The Cursed Lands
The Cursed Lands are the folk name for the Therandur Region. The Colony of Therandur was the staging area for a grand campaign against the Obrec roughly 700 years ago. At their peak, the Varisian Empire sought to drive the Obrec out of the lowlands and forests between Therandur and Varis. The Campaign, however, was far longer and more costly than the elves anticipated, and when they won it they were in no position to take advantage of the now devastated landscape. Instead, the elves declared the launching point of their campaign, Therandur, to be on Cursed Lands and drew inward, beginning thier long decline. Points of Intrest The Black Gravel Mountains bar any passage to the north. Beyond them lie the Grey Wastes, a windswept sparse tundra. The Black Gravel Mountains are a focal point for treasure hunters, archaeologists and grave-robbers. In their peaks and valleys hide reclusive dwarf holds, abandoned Giant cities and forgotten treasures. To the north-east of Therandur is the quaint town of Riverdale, with a healthy population of Elves and repatriated Smallfolk. The Smallfolk in Riverdale used to run a trading outpost far off to the east, but after coming on hard times petitioned the Governor of Therandur for aid. Beyond Riverdale is the Border Woods, the furthest out that the Dragon's Eyes ranger companies will patrol. Passed the Border Woods, to the east, lie the Black Woods, an area that cartographers, explorers and surveyors whisper about in hushed tones. Very few who have been sent on a mission to map out the hilly and wild region of the Black Woods ever accept another mission to return there again, citing a foreboding atmosphere and hostile wildlife. Port Hope flanks the western limits of Varisian influence in the region. To the north of Port Hope lie the Chittering Hills. The Chittering Hills feature heavily in local folklore with stories of bizarre creatures and kidnapping monsters. These local legends are somewhat reinforced by the strange rate of explorers disappearing when sent to survey the area. Ullen's Lament was once a fertile woodland, with wide green pastures and plains between the patches of dense trees. During the culmination of the bloody war between the Obrec and the Varisian Elves, the sheer amount of blood spilled, magic cast and anguish caused has had a strange effect on the land. Though it was devastated during the war, it never returned to it's original state, instead transforming slowly into a quagmire, a thick swamp with very little treelife at all, instead sparse grass, yellow streams and mud. Several explorers to the area describe impossible things, such as suits of armor many centuries old still intact in the mud, swords devoid of rust embedded in the ground and horrific images they won't elaborate on. The Obrec of the Mossbed Clan regularly traverse the swamp on trade missions. A great deal of effort is exerted in keeping the restless spirits of the vengeful dead soldiers placated with elaborate memorials and extensive rituals. In addition to this, Dragon's Eyes rangers patrol the swamplands, ensuring no megalomanical necromancer set up in the area. Nearby Diplomatic Contacts The Smallfolk maintain a trade outpost on a small island to the south of the Therandur peninsula. They have been on good terms with the Elves quite some time. The Guanyin lie on a continent to the east, and have had diplomatic contact with the Varisian Empire since the founding of Therandur, though their last Emperor was a conservative isolationist and forbade any envoys abroad. The Hedjet lie to the south, on thier sandy desert continent. Most of them live in the vertile region to the south of their lands, however they covet the Elvish outposts on the northern rim of thier continent and have been in somewhat of a defacto cold war with the Elves for some time now. Lastly, the fractious Obrec live closeby to the northwest. Collected in their petty duchies, kingdoms holdings, the clannish and temperamental Obrec have a very mixed relationship with each other, and with the outside world. Each Kingdom and Clan maintain thier own relations with the outside world, so while at any given time several Obrec Clans or kingdoms may be warring with the Elves, or with each other, or with the humans, or with all at once. Currently, the Governor of Therandur has maintained good relations with the Messbed Clan, and have been in skirmishes with the Timberwild Clan.